Coll 28/10(2) ‘Persia; Diaries; Meshed Consular June 1940; Khorassan Political; Khorassan Fortnightly Reports’ [‎77r] (153/1297)

... 2 -
10, Sef^para 304 of 1945. Xtic Russians iiavo
deciaad to use the telegraphic material lying at
at la st
Kuchuii
to repair the Kuchan-iSajgiran 1 ine^ The expaucLitui 5 e
incurred in connection with the work will he home hy
the Persian Telegraph Department.
fi)LITI0iiL P^iPTUo 4 *
11. On the 19th January the Hizh-i-Tudeh arranged a
theatrical show at the Cinema Didahan. The actors as
well as the audience w j r e Tudeh memhtr s. This pe r for mane r.
was followed later in the aay hy another at thr Hotel
Milli* They were directed against Majlis Deputi-s
(representatives who shirked their raspoiisihilities ana
hotrayed their Constituents) and against the rich (who
fleeced the country and crushed the poor).
12. On the anniversary of Lenin’s death on the 22na
January the Irano-Soviet Cultural Socleoy held a reception^
at the C in ala Didahan.-. The Governor-Gener al, foreign
consular officers, officials ana local not ah its w d c
present. A lecture on the Life of Lenin was given hy
Miss Tairnurtash who was visiting Meshed from Tehran, and
this was followed hy a Soviet propaganda film. The audience
was obviously very hored.
13* At previous entertainments of this kina given hy
the irano-soviet Cultural Society, which were attended hy
the lat- Governor-General, igha All Mansour, and Iranian
officials, the stage was always decorated with Soviet
flags and red hunting with a large picture of Marshal Stalin
in the centre, ana the Iranian national colours and flags
were never included in the decorations. On this occasion
th--. stag-- was decorated with the Iranian national colours
and flags as well as the usual r : d hunting and moviet
flags. There was a bust of Lenin in the centre ana a
largje photograph of H.M, the Shah above it. This caused
considerable co Linen t amongst the audience who she wad their
satisfaction. The Governor-General later told H.M’s Consul-
General that this was the first time since his arrival
that he had attended one of these functions aim had heard
'tohat had happened in the past and he was amazed at his
predecessor allowing it. He said the. t he had le-t tin Irano**
Soviet Cultural Society clearly understand that Unzh-'l. nv"
in Iran end not in Bussia and that if on Mis arilval he
found that the Iranian national colours and flags had not
he-n included in the decorations he would leav im-nn-ak t -ly
and that a great part of the audience would as a mutter of
course leave with him. The ^Russians hy appearances se^m
to have a great deal more respect for him then they had for
his predecessor e
14. in article in the Tudeh paper ’Bastl' 1 dated t;h~
29th January attempted to give '’-anxious enqpirors'* som^
light on coming events in Khorasan. It stated that tho'Se
who were wondering when the Democrats were coming to r-s ; ou-
Khorasan from bondage ware to hear in mind that the
Democrats were not a remote entity functioning in ^zerha ij'^n
hut Persians themselves, wherever they were fighting for t h*ir
fr e sdom. It fur ther s ta t ed tha t the Demo 04 ? a ts of •: rha ij an
after they had put their affairs in or per i^ould comedo
Khor asan in time and would expect wholeheafttu co-opt r u tion
from patriots h er e,
LOC.IL ABBAIRS*
l^o On the 7th January the Governor-General, Lading
personalities of M-shea, heads of Go vernal an u Departs uts,
and foreign Consular officers were invited by the Munoipal-
ity to the opening ceremony of a new water-pump and well
installed in the Maidan- i-Daqiqi opposite the Shrine Museuix
to supply drinking water to the public, Agha Abdul Hussain
MLlik./